The Best Little Girl in the World (novel)
 hardcover edition | |
| Author | Steven Levenkron |
|---|---|
| Language | English French |
| Genre | young adult coming-of-age |
| Publisher | Warner Books |
Publication date | 1979 |
| Publication place | United States |
| ISBN | 9780446358651 (print edition) |
| OCLC | 29362812 |
The Best Little Girl in the World is a 1979 American young adult coming of age novel by Steven Levenkron, telling the story of Kessa, a teen who suffers from an eating disorder.[1] The book was originally published by Warner Books in 1979. It was adapted into a 1981 ABC TV film by the same name, and it won the American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults Award.[2]
Plot
Francesca Dietrich is a middle-class American teenager, aspiring ballerina, and a girl who suffers from anorexia nervosa. She obsesses over a fantasy variant of herself, insisting on being called by the name "Kessa" and worrying over the demands of her controlling, strict ballet teacher. Fixated with weight loss and treated like a young child by her family, Kessa retreats further and further into her mental illness, leading her parents to finally recognize it months later, after which they send her to a male therapist. Kessa develops romantic feelings for the therapist, which would cross ethical boundaries if acted upon, and she also deals with the death of a friend in the hospital. As she gradually recovers, various ideas for what caused the eating disorder are explored at length: Kessa loathes her emerging womanhood and puberty as it affects her contours, including her breasts, waist and buttocks. She feels a strong sense of rivalry with her siblings and her neurotic mother and father. She also surrounds herself with controlling people, such as her parents and teacher, with her eating disorder being the one outlet where she gets to make the rules. Kessa begins eating small portions of food, hoping to be able to overcome her illness.
Legacy
The Best Little Girl in the World was in part based on Levenkron's experiences with deceased musician Karen Carpenter, who later died in 1983 after a long struggle with an eating disorder.[3] It received mixed reviews from critics, with Kirkus Reviews praising the book's portrayal of Kessa's therapist, but criticizing the protagonist's "less-than-convincing interior monologues" and the plot ending that "promises a bit too zippy a cure, and certainly doesn't furnish the eye-opening epiphany required for gripping psycho-drama."[4]
The book was adapted in 1981 into an ABC Afterschool Special titled The Best Little Girl in the World.
References
- ^ The best little girl in the world. WorldCat. OCLC 29362812. Retrieved 11 September 2022 – via www.worldcat.org.
- ^ McEntyre, Marilyn. "The Best Little Girl in the World: Levenkron, Steven". medhum.med.nyu.edu. NYU Langone Health. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
- ^ Schmidt, Randy (23 October 2010). "Karen Carpenter's tragic story". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
- ^ "THE BEST LITTLE GIRL IN THE WORLD by Steven Levenkron ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1978". www.kirkusreviews.com. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 11 September 2022.